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Wedding Supplier Recommendations

Hi All,

I joined the forum specifically to ask for some wedding-related advice, and so apologies if this goes against the usual etiquette on here.

We are getting married in Poppi at the end October, and are starting to panic a bit now. The reason for this is that up till now we've been almost wholly reliant on our planner, lovely lady that she is, but there still seems to be quite a few outstanding issues that haven't been confirmed yet. Also, some of the prices we've been quoted so far seem preposterous to us, but we don't know the area well enough to be able to source alternatives ourselves. I'd be really grateful if any forum members can offer any suggestions in the following areas.

Photography & Videography - We've been quoted about €2500-3000 for each of these. This sounds rather steep, but I appreciate it may well not be. If it sounds so and anyone can suggest any other alternatives, I'd be most grateful.

Wedding Car - We've not really had any prices given yet (despite repeatedly asking) but in searching online this morning, prices for a classic/vintage 4-seater convertible (like an Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider for instance) seem to be in the €700 region which does seem rather steep, given that we'd only be using it for a couple of hours to get from the villa to the church and then back again. Again, any thoughts and alternative suggestions would be most welcome. I'd also appreciate any suggestions for a cost-efficient way of transporting the bridal party and up to 30-40 guests on the day.

Flowers - We've been quoted in the vicinity of €2000 in total for these, and while the Mrs (to-be) seems to be ok with this, I just can't get my head around how this can be reasonable. Admittedly this includes candles and vases, not just flowers, but it still does seem like a ridiculous amount. €150 for the bridal bouquet, €80 for each bridesmaid, €180 per centrepiece etc. Am I being unrealistic, or can this not be done for considerably cheaper?

Our planner still hasn't given us an indication of costs for other items such as sound equipment hire (we are bringing our own DJ) and a piano or keyboard for our singer, so I'd greatly appreciate if anyone has any pointers in these areas as well.

Again I apologise if I haven't observed the regular etiquette on here, and hope I haven't offended anyone with my direct approach. Thanks in advance for your assistance.

Poppi Wedding

Buongiorno -

first off, you couldn't have picked a more beautiful place to get married. (Let's just say been there, done that and I have helped quite a few person get married in the castle)

You have to decide WHY you are getting married abroad - and in Poppi....is it because you love the area, Tuscany and just want to immerse yourself in the local fauna (so to speak) or did you decide to get married in Italy BUT still want a traditional wedding with all the bells and whistles etc....

May I ask, is your wedding planner local to the area or is she coming from out of town. Not to take anything away from here profession status, but normally they come with their own set of services and don't always source locally - so if you want I can give you a few locals to do some price comparisons

Personally I always tried to steer people towards letting the location speak for itself - and believe me if you are getting married in the Castle - it will be coming through loud and clear (when you have put one tasteful composition on the table...you don't need any more flowers than that!) The beauty of your bride will shine through. I prefer to invest the funds in a fabulous meal.

If ANY of your services are coming from outside of the area then you are paying also for travel...and unfortunately where ever you go, once you add the word Matrimonio (wedding) to the description - the prices go up....

If you want to tell me where the service is and where you thought to hold your reception, I can get back to you with a few ideas.

As Donna has already covered most of my questions/comments quite well, I'll just add this:

- yep, the word "wedding" makes all prices go up

- despite that, the costs you've been quoted could be a bit high for the area -- so like Donna, I also think it might be that the suppliers are not "local" like within the immediate area and might be coming from Florence, for example. In that case, the prices go up because of transportation there and back, as well..

- wedding car: you can also do some searches and see if you can get different quotes directly. Consider that even if you only have it for a few hours, it is likely that the car is hired out to you exclusively for the entire day. You have to consider: are you starting with the idea that you WANT a vintage/classic car or was it something that was proposed to you? a vintage car could come from further away than Florence, so that is also factored into cost.... while a more local place might offer luxurious options at a smaller cost.
You could try contacting this "car hire" company to the south of Poppi and ask them what they have, they have vintage cars on offer on their site: http://www.autochianucci.net/dove_siamo_e_contatti.html

- keep in mind that many locals might not speak English, so the help of the planner could still come in handy - and is often the number one reason I recommend using them when planning a destination wedding

To be honest, neither of us had been to Tuscany before we decided to get married there. We wanted a destination wedding at short notice, and then just kind of came up with Tuscany together. We've since visited and fallen completely in love with it all. We took a long weekend to go over, arrived at Pisa and spent 4 days driving through Livorno to San Vincenzo, Montepulciano, Trequanda, San Gimignano (so beautiful), Poppi and several other places. I have no doubt that our wedding is going to be amazing, just because of where it is we're marrying.

As Donna has already covered most of my questions/comments quite well, I'll just add this:

- yep, the word "wedding" makes all prices go up

- despite that, the costs you've been quoted could be a bit high for the area -- so like Donna, I also think it might be that the suppliers are not "local" like within the immediate area and might be coming from Florence, for example. In that case, the prices go up because of transportation there and back, as well..

- wedding car: you can also do some searches and see if you can get different quotes directly. Consider that even if you only have it for a few hours, it is likely that the car is hired out to you exclusively for the entire day. You have to consider: are you starting with the idea that you WANT a vintage/classic car or was it something that was proposed to you? a vintage car could come from further away than Florence, so that is also factored into cost.... while a more local place might offer luxurious options at a smaller cost.
You could try contacting this "car hire" company to the south of Poppi and ask them what they have, they have vintage cars on offer on their site: http://www.autochianucci.net/dove_siamo_e_contatti.html

- keep in mind that many locals might not speak English, so the help of the planner could still come in handy - and is often the number one reason I recommend using them when planning a destination wedding

Hi Lourdes, thanks for replying:

I accept the point about suppliers coming from further away, and so this probably explains some of the quotes we have been given so far.

With the car, the idea of a vintage car was definitely our idea. given the location, it just seems right to go for that style rather than a flashy modern type of vehicle, if that makes sense? We'd much prefer something classic and understated to something loud and flashy.

I think you are definitely right regarding the language, and I think our planner has been absolutely necessary so far...like I said earlier I guess I'm just feeling restless being so detached from the whole process. from what sounds like though, you think the prices we've gotten so far are roughly about right?

PM - no problem

Manolo - as far as prices go, I am not sure as it has been a while since I did my own and seen prices. You could try to get a basic cost estimate for these services from another wedding planner, just to be able to compare. Here are a few suggestions:http://www.discovertuscany.com/weddings-in-tuscany/